


Parting Poster

by BloodyDemonWitch



Series: Partings and Reunions [1]
Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Original Trilogy
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Ambiguous/Open Ending, Anakin Skywalker Doesn't Turn to the Dark Side, Captivity, Darth Vader is a Clone, Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Men Crying, Threats of Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-11-09
Updated: 2020-11-09
Packaged: 2021-03-08 18:07:16
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,038
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27470944
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BloodyDemonWitch/pseuds/BloodyDemonWitch
Summary: Anakin had been inside his cell for almost twenty years now, while a clone wearing his face brings havoc to Galaxy. The only thing that comforts him, is knowing that his wife and child will never see the damage he had done to the Galaxy. But that all changes when Palpatine brings him an unwanted surprise.
Relationships: Anakin Skywalker & Luke Skywalker
Series: Partings and Reunions [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/2125917
Comments: 8
Kudos: 153





	Parting Poster

**Author's Note:**

> I just can't seem to stop writing Vader & Luke content.  
> Enjoy :)

The door of his cell opened. Anakin had long gotten used to the squeaking sound of the hinges, but it always managed to make his skin crawl. A figure clad in black stepped inside. Anakin didn’t move. He was too tired, both physically and mentally.

“Hello Skywalker.” A raspy voice greeted. Anakin didn’t greet back. He hadn’t in almost twenty years, he wasn’t going to start now. Palpatine visited him regularly, relishing in his captivity. Meanwhile his clone was out burning the galaxy to the ground.

It was all his fault. He had condemned the Jedi from the moment he had pledged his loyalty. He had trusted Palpatine and the entire galaxy paid the prize. Including his wife and unborn child.

When Anakin had woken up in his cell for the first time, cold and cut off from the Force, Palpatine had walked in with a clone wearing Anakin’s face. He told him that he knew Anakin wanted to overthrow him. Therefore, he had replaced Anakin with a loyal version of himself, until he would learn to obey. Palpatine had forced Anakin to watch his clone fight Obi-Wan nearly killing him in the process. He had watched as Vader slaughtered every Jedi, including the younglings. But the worst part of it all had been watching Vader choke Padmé. Palpatine later confirmed both her death and death of his child.

That had been the only time Anakin had wept during his captivity. He had wept for his wife, for his child and even for the Jedi.

But something was unsettling him now. Anakin couldn’t place it, maybe it was the way Palpatine smiled at him, maybe it was the way he was standing.

“I have heard the most joyous news.” He rasped.

Anakin doubted that claim sincerely.

“Turns out somebody who we thought of as dead, is in fact very much alive.”

Anakin shivered involuntarily.

“Do you remember Kenobi’s newest padawan? The boy who watched him die.”

Anakin was chewing on the inside of his cheek, trying not to say anything. He wouldn’t give Palpatine that satisfaction. He hadn’t cried when he saw Vader cut Obi-Wan down, but he had mourned him as best as he could. He had noticed the boy in the recording, his _replacement_ as Palpatine had called him.

“I have good news for you, my boy.” Palpatine smiled.

“Turns out your child survived.”

Anakin’s eyes widened and his body became ice cold.

“No.” He whispered.

“Yes.” Palpatine persisted, “Vader is hunting him down as we speak.”

Anakin could feel his eyes burning. He refused to cry, not in front of the old Sith.

“How nice would that be. A family reunion between father and son.”

“That _thing_ is not his father.” Anakin growled out. His voice sounded raspy after not using it for so long.

“Your brat won’t know that, will he?” Palpatine taunted him.

“I look forward to training him.”

“He will never join you.” Anakin rasped out, despite not knowing for certain what his child would do.

“Maybe not willingly, but I’m sure that, in time, I can convince him and show him to power of the Darkside.”

Anakin knew what Palpatine meant with “convincing him”. He had experienced that at first hand on multiple occasions.

“Don’t touch him!” Anakin yelled, the fury that he had been burying for twenty years coming out in full.

Palpatine didn’t look intimidated. He tutted at Anakin.

“You’ve known about his existence for two minutes and you’re already so attached. What would Kenobi say?”

‘Nothing,’ Anakin though angerly, ‘because you killed him.’

“No, according to your hell spawn _you_ killed him.”

Anakin felt his insides turn.

Palpatine threw a piece of flimsly. Anakin caught it and looked at it. “Wanted by the Galactic Empire” it said on the top of the poster in big letters. Under the letters there was a photo of his son. Anakin was surprised by how similar they looked. It seemed like they had the same eyes, hair and chin, but he had Padmé’s cheeks and nose.

His eyes fell on the name under the photo: “Luke Skywalker”. Padmé had been so convinced that their child would be a boy, she already had the name picked out.

_“Luke,”_ she had told him, _“I want to name him Luke.”_

Luke, _light,_ his son.

“Take a good look at that poster, it’s the only thing of his you’re ever going to have in your hands.” Palpatine sneered.

Anakin dashed forward, but the chains around his wrists pulled him back. Lightning shot out of Palpatine’s fingers. Anakin screamed as the lightning made contact with his skin. He hadn’t charged at Palpatine like this in years. He now remembered why.

The lightning stopped, but Anakin couldn’t move. His breath came out in wheezes and his entire body ached.

“I will make sure you will be able to see the fall of your son.”

Palpatine laughed coldly.

“As a last gift from me to you.”

“Don’t hurt him.” Anakin managed to rasp out. It came out more like begging and less like threatening like he had intended.

Palpatine just laughed his awful, cold laugh. He turned around and walked out of the cell.

“Until next time, Skywalker.”

The cell door slammed shut and Anakin was alone once again.

He crawled towards the piece of flimsy that had fallen to the ground. He carefully picked it up and pulled it to his chest, like it was his actual child and not just his wanted poster.

Anakin started sobbing. When Padmé had told him, she was pregnant for the first time, he had imagined many things he and his child would do. He had imagined the mundane things such as feeding them and singing lullabies to them, but he had also imagined the more exciting things. He had imagined teaching them how to fly, how to fight with a lightsaber and how to sooth Padmé if she was angry with them. He realized once more, that would never be able to do that. His child was alive, but Anakin would never be able to hold him.

“My child,” He whispered, “My son, my Luke.”

A tear fell on the floor of the cell.

“I’m so sorry. I’m so so sorry.”


End file.
